Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-04-14
a'irginia 9gcr grrss.
iV. ". Il. GALLAHER, Editor
Chariesto,on, ,JegerSo" County, West ia
dprH IL, 1857.
TIE COOP or TIE OLD TINES


Prof. Thompson, in lecture before the
students of Harvard College, says that il
the year 1893 a canal company in Penn
sylvania advertised for workmcn, offering
So per month in winter and So in sum
mer, with board and lodging. At tha,
time soldiers in the United States service
were paid S3 per month, and a Vermont
member of Congress discussed the propo
sition to raise the price to 81, stating thai
in his State men were hired by the year
Tor 81 per month, with boarding and cl,-
Thing added IN 1897 Il Rhode Island
farmer hired good farm hand at So PEI
month, and for the eight busy months o.
armers' year 50 was lair price. Strong
boys III Connecticut worked long days ol
farms for 81 per month; at the same
time a coarse cotton shirt cost tire,
months Of such service And these price,
were all farmers could afford 20 pay, for
butter sold at s cents per pound, and .
rise Of , cents excited farmers wives t.
such an extent as to unbalance then
miads. WomeH picked the wool from
the bushes where sheep had left it, and
spun and knit ii into mittens TO earn q
dollara year by such saving and industry.
BY Il days hard work at the spinning
wheel woman and girl together could
earn II cents. As late as 1851 the be,,
farm hands could be hired for % cents
and 30 in haying. Eight years later il
Pennsylvania men left the cities ano
hocked to the canals for 60 to - cents :;
day in districts where malaria cut then
down in numbers, and poor people die
Of cold and want in cities every winter
and the fact made little impression on til,
minds of survivors. Quite a contrast
from these days of strikes and long sea
sons Of voluntary idlcness.
"The men who farmed it forty year
ago says Waldo T. Brown, in the Hit-
adephio Press. would hardly sympathiz,
with us when we complain so bitterly al
10 cents per bushcl for wheat, with q
market at every crossroads so that thc
majority OF farmers can take from tw,
to four loads Of 20 bushels to markcl
with two horses in day. / remember
when Cincinnati was the only wheat mar
ket Tor farmers who lived from fifty to q
hundred miles distant. have neighbor,
now living who wagoned wheat TO Gin.
cinnati when, on account of the condi.
tions of roads, ten days was needed tc
make Il round trip and four horses L,
draw 80 bushels, which were sold at thre,
levies, 81! cents per bushel. The load
brought sl411, or about s1.41 per day
for a man and four horses. He did moi
pay out one cent for hotel bills, however
but carried his horse feed, blankets anc
provisions with him, and camped out, a.
this was the only way to get home Will
any money. | remember as late as 1871
my father bought yearling calves for 81
each and in lS49 he bought a herd Of
COWS, some Of them very fine ones, and
the highest price paid was s11, some o.
them costing but 81. Eggs were fre-
quently down to p cents a dozen, and ]
have known both corn q. d oats wagoned
80 miles, and sold at 10 cents 4 bushel
The hog was the important factor in those
days, for he could transport his own car
cass to market, but sometimes the price
Of pork was below two cents a pound.
Other commodities Auctatcd greatly in
price. l have known clover seed to COS
so per bushel, and have planted poia
toes which cost me two dollars per busLel
MANY Of the things farmers bought
were much dearcr than now. Nails wer,
12c per pound, spikes for planks &c
apiece, and cheap cotton cloth SOC. PEI
yard. Pins and needles were seven time
their present value. In these days lambs
sold cheap, and they were lambs, 100, uor
old sheep. We find sales recorded al &c
per pound, and four quarter Of veal a
&C. at that dale.
- ifiy cents hired a good hand Fay
and q carpenter got 81 Il day an board
That money did not circulate very freely